Total Pageviews

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

HDFC Bank - can we bank on it?

Atanu Dey had had his love-hate relation with HDFC Bank ... Imagine an economist getting a royal $cr*w from them... what about a poor nobody like me...

I recently walked into (on invitation) to the HDFC Bank next door to my office, along with the mandatory documents needed to open a saving account

1. PAN card (with a photocopy)

2. A recent photogragh

3. Proof of address

Everything went fine, till the counter-personnel told me that the address proof I presented cannot be accepted.

The reason: HDFC Credit Card statement cannot be accepted as a proof of address, in spite of you being a loyal credit card user for last four years.

Understand this - they trust me with their money (in form of a credit card) but cant accept my check for depositing my money into their bank. Some crap as reason, about Know Your Customer, yada yada ...

Finally I had to give some other bank's account statement to get the account opened.

After 10 days, I get call from someone from the bank that I have a pre-approved HDFC credit card and when would it be possible for me to fill out some "mandatory" forms to collect my credit card.

Question: Do they really not know - who exactly I was, if I was already an account holder or I am some other jerk, before they issue, rather re-issue a credit card to the exisiting card holder.

No wonder, the world economy is in $H1t shape, with more to come... may be India is also in the queue to get it's due.